Cobblers boss Wilder delighted with Marquis signing

Jeremy Casey

Chris Wilder is delighted with the loan signing of striker John Marquis and believes the player will fit straight into the Cobblers squad due to his outstanding attitude and work ethic.

Marquis was signed on Monday, with the Cobblers quickly moving to strengthen their squad following the news that 18-goal top scorer Marc Richards is out for at least four weeks due to an Achilles injury.

Cobblers boss Chris Wilder

The 23-year-old is returning to Sixfields for his second loan spell, with this previous stint seeing the Cobblers complete the great escape and secure their Football League survival with a win over Oxford United on the final day of the season back in 2014.

Marquis is on loan at Sixfields until the end of the season and will be in line to make his second Town debut in Tuesday night’s Sky Bet League Two clash at York City, and Wilder said: “We have moved swiftly and I thank the chairman for his help on that, because we still have work to do as there is nearly a third of the season left.

“There are a lot of points to play for and we are in a good position to replace Marc.

“Losing the skipper is a blow for us, but we have looked around and I don’t think we could have got a better replacement in at this stage of the season than John Marquis.”

Marquis instantly provides competition for the in-form James Collins at the top of the pitch, and that is important for Wilder as he looks to ensure his team stay top of the table.

Also important to Wilder is the character of the player, and in Marquis he knows exactly what he is getting, and he believes he will settle at Sixfields straight away.

“We need options all over the park, and we know a lot about John,” said the Cobblers boss.

“He really does fit in with the attitude of the group. He is popular with the supporters and that for me showed what he is about as a player and a person.

“It is a terrific signing for us, and he is being kept out of a very good team in Millwall by possibly the best two centre forwards in league one in Lee Gregory and Steve Morison.

“He can’t get a game there for understandable reasons, John wants to play, he will be involved here, and when he was here last time, as a young player, he played a key role in our survival.

“He has had a bit of a stop-start season. He didn’t hit it off on loan at Leyton Orient (earlier in the season) where he wasn’t played in the position he wanted to play, down the middle, and there were a few problems with that club at the time as well.

“Players have to be comfortable, and he will be made to feel comfortable here by the staff who know him, by the players that know him that are still here, and by the supporters thanks to his previous history here and we are delighted to get John in.

“He is aggressive, he works his socks off, and he can score goals, and he fits in to how we want to go about our business in terms of his attitude.”

Wilder was also thankful that the player, who was used as a second-half substitute in Millwall’s 3-0 win over Peterborough United on Saturday, was allowed out by the Lions.

Marquis is out of contract this summer, and the sitch to Northampton gives him the chance to impress, with Wilder having one eye on the future.

“I really appreciate the help we have had from Neil Harris and everybody at Millwall, because they have been very co-operative in letting John go,” said Wilder.

“They understand he is out of contract, and he has to go and earn a contract somewhere.

It is good for us to have a look at that situation as well going into next season.”

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